Pay depends on the educational attainment of the worker and the type of establishment. Although the pay generally is very low, more education usually means higher earnings. Median hourly earnings of wage and salary childcare workers were $7.86 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $6.66 and $9.65. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $5.91, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $11.46. Median hourly earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of childcare workers in 2002 were as follows:
| Other residential care facilities | $9.51 |
| Elementary and secondary schools | 9.04 |
| Civic and social organizations | 7.25 |
| Child daycare services | 7.18 |
| Other amusement and recreation industries | 7.09 |
Earnings of self-employed childcare workers vary depending on the hours worked, the number and ages of the children, and the location.
Benefits vary, but are minimal for most childcare workers. Many employers offer free or discounted childcare to employees. Some offer a full benefits package, including health insurance and paid vacations, but others offer no benefits at all. Some employers offer seminars and workshops to help workers learn new skills. A few are willing to cover the cost of courses taken at community colleges or technical schools. Live-in nannies get free room and board.
Childcare workers nurture and teach children of all ages in childcare centers, nursery schools, preschools, public schools, private households, family childcare homes, and before- and afterschool programs. These workers play an important role in a child's development by caring for the child when parents are at work or away for other reasons. Some parents enroll their children in nursery schools or childcare centers primarily to provide them with the opportunity to interact with other children. In addition to attending to children's basic needs, these workers organize activities that stimulate the children's physical, emotional, intellectual, and social growth. They help children to explore their interests, develop their talents and independence, build self-esteem, and learn how to get along with others.
Private household workers who are employed on an hourly basis usually are called babysitters. These childcare workers bathe, dress, and feed children; supervise their play; wash their clothes; and clean their rooms. They also may put them to bed and waken them, read to them, involve them in educational games, take them for doctors' visits, and discipline them. Those who are in charge of infants, sometimes called infant nurses, also prepare bottles and change diapers.
Nannies generally take care of children from birth to age 10 or 12, tending to the child's early education, nutrition, health, and other needs. They also may perform the duties of a general housekeeper, including general cleaning and laundry duties.
Childcare workers spend most of their day working with children. However, they do maintain contact with parents or guardians through informal meetings or scheduled conferences to discuss each child's progress and needs. Many childcare workers keep records of each child's progress and suggest ways in which parents can stimulate their child's learning and development at home. Some preschools, childcare centers, and before- and after-school programs actively recruit parent volunteers to work with the children and participate in administrative decisions and program planning.
Most childcare workers perform a combination of basic care and teaching duties. Childcare programs help children to learn about trust and to gain a sense of security.
Young children learn mainly through play. They capitalize on children's play to further language development (storytelling and acting games), improve social skills (working together to build a neighborhood in a sandbox), and introduce scientific and mathematical concepts (balancing and counting blocks when building a bridge or mixing colors when painting). Thus, a less structured approach is used to teach preschool children, including small-group lessons, one-on-one instruction, and learning through creative activities, such as art, dance, and music. Preschool children in childcare centers have an opportunity to engage in conversation and discussions, and to learn to play and work cooperatively with their classmates. Childcare workers play a vital role in preparing children to build the skills they will need in school. (Teacher assistants as well as teachers—preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school are discussed elsewhere in the Handbook.)
Childcare workers in preschools greet young children as they arrive, help them to remove outer garments, and select an activity of interest. To ensure a well-balanced program, childcare workers prepare daily and long-term schedules of activities. Each day's activities balance individual and group play, and quiet and active time. Children are given some freedom to participate in activities in which they are interested.
Concern over school-age children being home alone before and after school has spurred many parents to seek alternative ways for their children to constructively spend their time. The purpose of before- and afterschool programs is to watch over school-age children during the gap between school hours and their parents' work hours. In some cases, childcare workers help parents to locate programs that will provide basic health services.
Early identification of children with special needs—such as those with behavioral, emotional, physical, or learning disabilities—is important to improve their future learning ability.
High replacement needs should create good job opportunities for childcare workers. Many childcare workers must be replaced each year as they leave the occupation to take other jobs, to meet family responsibilities, or for other reasons. Qualified persons who are interested in this work should have little trouble finding and keeping a job. Opportunities for nannies should be especially good, as many workers prefer not to work in other people's homes.
Employment of childcare workers is projected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2012. The number of women of childbearing age (widely considered to be ages 15 to 44) in the labor force and the number of children under 5 years of age is expected to rise gradually over the projected 2002-12 period. Also, the proportion of youngsters enrolled full or part time in childcare and preschool programs is likely to continue to increase, spurring demand for additional childcare workers.
Changes in perceptions of preprimary education may lead to increased public and private spending on childcare. If more parents believe that some experience in center-based care and preschool is beneficial to children, enrollment will increase. Concern about the behavior of school-age children during nonschool hours should increase demand for before- and afterschool programs. In addition, the difficulty of finding suitable nannies or private household workers also may force many families to seek out alternative childcare arrangements in centers and family childcare programs. Government policy often favors increased funding of early childhood education programs, and that trend will probably continue. Government funding for before- and afterschool programs also is expected to be steady over the projection period. The growing availability of government-funded center-based care and preschool programs may induce some parents to enroll their children who otherwise would not do so. Some States also are increasing subsidization of the child daycare services industry in response to welfare reform legislation. This reform might cause some mothers to enter the workforce during the projection period as their welfare benefits are reduced or eliminated.
The training and qualifications required of childcare workers vary widely. Each State has its own licensing requirements that regulate caregiver training; these range from a high school diploma, to community college courses, to a college degree in child development or early-childhood education. Many States require continuing education for workers in this field. However, State requirements often are minimal. Childcare workers generally can obtain employment with a high school diploma and little or no experience. Local governments, private firms, and publicly funded programs may have more demanding training and education requirements.
Some employers prefer to hire childcare workers with a nationally recognized childcare development credential, secondary or postsecondary courses in child development and early childhood education, or work experience in a childcare setting. Other employers require their own specialized training. An increasing number of employers require an associate degree in early childhood education. Schools for nannies teach early childhood education, nutrition, and childcare.
Childcare workers must anticipate and prevent problems, deal with disruptive children, provide fair but firm discipline, and be enthusiastic and constantly alert. They must communicate effectively with the children and their parents, as well as other teachers and childcare workers. Workers should be mature, patient, understanding, and articulate, and have energy and physical stamina. Skills in music, art, drama, and storytelling also are important. Self-employed childcare workers must have business sense and management abilities.
Opportunities for advancement are limited. However, as childcare workers gain experience, some may advance to supervisory or administrative positions in large childcare centers or preschools. Often, these positions require additional training, such as a bachelor's or master's degree. Other workers move on to work in resource and referral agencies, consulting with parents on available child services. A few workers become involved in policy or advocacy work related to childcare and early childhood education. With a bachelor's degree, workers may become preschool teachers or become certified to teach in public or private schools. Some workers set up their own childcare businesses.
Childcare work requires patience; creativity; an ability to nurture, motivate, teach, and influence children; and leadership, organizational, and administrative skills. Others who work with children and need these qualities and skills include teacher assistants; teachers—preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary; and teachers—special education.
For an electronic question-and-answer service on childcare, information on becoming a childcare provider, and other resources for persons interested in childcare work, contact:
For information on becoming a family childcare provider, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to:
For eligibility requirements and a description of the Child Development Associate credential, contact:
For eligibility requirements and a description of the Certified Childcare Professional designation, contact:
For information about a career as a nanny, contact:
State Departments of Human Services or Social Services can supply State regulations and training requirements for childcare workers.
Multiply this by 12 (or however many kids a childcare worker may work with) times 8 to 10 hours straight. It's tough work, but these days, more and more mothers and fathers rely on childcare workers to do exactly these tasks as they trek off to full-time jobs. Childcare workers also have to work to keep children safe and healthy and to provide for basic physical needs such as food, good hygiene, sleep and warmth. What they do varies with the ages of the children they care for and whether they work in a child care center, their own home, or a private household. Those who work in child care centers feed, diaper, and play with the infants and provide more structured care for older children.
Summary of: http://www3.ccps.virginia.edu/career_prospects/briefs/A-D/ChildCare.shtml
A lot of this profit was raked in from taxpayers who gave more than $35 million in the last quarter to run his centres. There is a shortage of good, quality childcare workers. Eddie Groves should not get their valuable work on the cheap. Eddie Groves can sit down and decently bargain a good outcome for his workforce.
Summary of: http://www.actu.asn.au/public/campaigns/workandfamily/groves_lhmu.html
A high school diploma and little or no experience are adequate for many jobs, but training requirements vary from a high school diploma to a college degree. Large numbers of workers leave these jobs every year, creating good job opportunities. These workers play an important role in a child's development by caring for the child when parents are at work or away for other reasons. Some parents enroll their children in nursery schools or childcare centers primarily to provide them with the opportunity to interact with other children. Some preschools, childcare centers, and before- and after-school programs actively recruit parent volunteers to work with the children and participate in administrative decisions and program planning.
Summary of: http://www.collegegrad.com/careers/servi15.shtml
That means they eat a lot of their meals and snacks away from parental supervision. It's important that children in care eat nutritious meals and are educated about healthy food and diet. Childcare centres and carers should be familiar with hygiene and nutrition standards and food safety laws. Some centres provide all meals and snacks, others ask the families to provide meals for their children. Children should be relaxed and happy when they are eating.
Summary of: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Childcare_and_healthy_eating?OpenDocument
They do many of the things parents do for their children. Those caring for infants and toddlers follow a routine of basic care--feeding, bathing, diapering, playing with, and comforting. Those working with older pre-school children, in addition to taking care of their basic needs, plan and carry out programs to stimulate the children's physical, emotional, and social growth. Childcare workers' duties depend on the setting in which they work. Childcare workers in a large daycare center are in charge of groups of children under the supervision of a director who also handles administrative and program development responsibilities.
Summary of: http://www.exchangenet.com/howto/career/R0363.html
Childcare workers teach and care for children while their parents are away. They might also help them play games, do art, and read books. They help kids gain new skills and learn how to get along with others. They bathe, dress, and feed children; watch them while they play; and clean up after them. Some nannies travel to work.
Summary of: http://www.acpeople.com.au/career/choice/childcare-worker.asp
A high school diploma and little or no experience are adequate for many jobs, but training requirements vary from a high school diploma to a college degree. Large numbers of workers leave these jobs every year, creating good job opportunities. These workers play an important role in a child's development by caring for the child when parents are at work or away for other reasons. Some parents enroll their children in nursery schools or childcare centers primarily to provide them with the opportunity to interact with other children. The purpose of before- and afterschool programs is to watch over school-age children during the gap between school hours and their parents' work hours.
Summary of: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos170.htm
The Scottish Childcare Strategy is a further vital component of our support for families. Some services, such as parent and toddler groups and family centres, focus on meeting the needs of children with their carers. Others, such as childminders and out of school clubs, focus on meeting the needs of children while their parents are at work. Playgroups and homework clubs provide developmental and educational opportunities for all children, and may at the same time help parents in work with childcare needs. As the direction of social change is away from extended families an increasing proportion of parents who want childcare will not be able to use informal care.
Summary of: http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/cm39/3958/summary.htm
There is a lot of sick people and he is worried and too busy. Sometimes we eat burgers at MacDonalds. They make funny dreams. General advertisingGuardian Unlimited å© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005 .
Summary of: http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/browse/social-care/childrens-care/vacancy-938641.html